Ugh, The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

stormieweather

I firmly believe in the carrot as opposed to the stick approach. It is hard to teach a child to love themselves and accept their flaws all while tell them their fat is unacceptable. So the trick is to incorporate being healthy and respect for one's body into loving themselves. But this takes parents as well as teachers being involved. Sadly, the schools serve less than ideal food and many teachers AND parents are morbidly obese themselves, so how to teach what one isn't modeling?

I do NOT believe in "fat acceptance", but rather, "self acceptance" and "self-respect". Which doesn't mean we have to accept limitations or mistreatment (by self or others), it means we choose to treat ourselves and require others to treat us with all the respect, dignity and care that we deserve. Including eating right and exercising....which will naturally take care of the "fat" issue.

Lolli1986

Wow, I'm surprised by the majority of responses here. For an online community full of a majority of overweight or previously overweight people I don't understand why the people here do not understand how an image of a big fat guy as a villain can emotionally traumatise kids.

That's just ridiculous. Haven't WE ALL been fat before? Don't we all remember how rotten we felt? How would you have liked to walk through a grocery store only to have some kid call you Dr. Elephaunt, Disney's new fat ghost?

When people have said nasty things to me, i haven't thought 'it's okay because tomorrow i start my fitness journey to healthy eating and will reach my goal weight through all the motivation i've just recieved by being teased within 6 months.' No, i felt terrible, mildy depressed, unmotivated, anxious. I wanted to hide. None of these feelings are conducive to healthy living, and they do not created a healthy mindset.

Of course little fat baddies shouldn't be running around an exhibit teaching kids that fat and lazy is evil. Positive images of activity, fun, and healthy foods works much better. I can remember being a kid, learning about 'the food pyramid' and reading it on the back of my breakfast cereal packet every morning - THIS helped me.

Gosh, just think back to what you all responded to as adults. It wasn't the horrible feelings you had when you considered yourself overweight...those feelings just made you stay in your house, hide from your boyfriend, binge eat because 'it won't make a difference' - it was the realisation that yes, there is hope to change, a way to change, and yes, it is within your grasp.

2Phat1

I am conflicted here. As a person who has been overweight since the age of 9 and morbidly obese for the last 10 years (now having lost 22lb in 9 weeks. yay me!) I want plenty of positive messages about good health and healthy eating. At the same time I don't want people ridiculed or belittled for being overweight.

Having read every thread in this post I am also conflicted. I see such strong moralistic tone that equates, in my interpretation, to being "all overweight people bad, all """ healthy weighted people""" good. I offer no justification for where I got to with my weight but I could reference being a migrant child removed from his extended family, comfort habits developed from years of corporate travel with hotels and restaurants being more frequent than home cooked meals, etc.

I choose not to rationalise, I just accept that I got morbidly obese and am now doing something to reverse that. What galls me is attempts at correcting people's behaviour that starts from the premise that it is all their fault and it is a moral failure that they got "that gross looking".

We have to move beyond blame, encourage acceptance (not that it is healthy to be overweight but acceptance that people have got to where they are because they have) and provide support to change the behaviour. In my mind the Disney display is well intentioned and so far from the mark that I am not at all distressed it was closed down.

More power to Disney to come up with an alternative (and our society as individuals, regulators, law makers, etc.) but let's not base it in a base premise that the light are right and the weighty are all wrong.

That's the stuff that has started racial hatred, social divides and in extreme cases, wars. It doesn't have to be about I am right, you are wrong and you will be ok when you accept my point of view. My answers are my answers for me, not yours. Educate people from a sense of compassion and concern and not moral outrage.

chrishgt4

I firmly believe in the carrot as opposed to the stick approach. It is hard to teach a child to love themselves and accept their flaws all while tell them their fat is unacceptable. So the trick is to incorporate being healthy and respect for one's body into loving themselves. But this takes parents as well as teachers being involved. Sadly, the schools serve less than ideal food and many teachers AND parents are morbidly obese themselves, so how to teach what one isn't modeling?

I do NOT believe in "fat acceptance", but rather, "self acceptance" and "self-respect". Which doesn't mean we have to accept limitations or mistreatment (by self or others), it means we choose to treat ourselves and require others to treat us with all the respect, dignity and care that we deserve. Including eating right and exercising....which will naturally take care of the "fat" issue.

I agree with this - but having watched Jamie Oliver try to get American schools to accept his healthier menus and then see that the children wouldn't eat it, and didn't even know what half of it was, then see their parents objecting to him feeding them food they didn't want it shows that people just aren't ready to help themselves.

People will always judge others in a large part on how that person judges themselves - ie if someone thinks they are not worthy of respect, then others will see that in them, and will also think that person is not worthy of respect, after all, if someone doesn't respect themselves then why should I? This leads onto appearance being used as a judgement of people, in that if someone is large, then others will assume that they don't respect themselves as they aren't looking after themselves, so why should they respect them?

Whether it's right or wrong, it happens, so the best course of action is to show people how to improve themselves.

Rhea30

What actually would have taken place in the exhibit?

Maybe Will Power helped Lead Bottom to get healthy? Wouldn't that be a positive message?

As someone has said above - you can't be obese and healthy. And yes there might be people who are eating healthily and be obese, which means they are on the right track - those people should see this as a good thing surely! I don't see how it would encourage teasing and bullying just by saying that healthy is good, unhealthy is bad.

Saying healthy is good and unhealthy is bad won't cause bullying but if a kid sees another kid looking like 'lead bottom' or make that connection that the fat kid is align with the villian, that will cause bullying.

chanstriste13

if my thirteen year old self, who was stick-thin but felt very overweight in my mind, went to this and saw the vilian 'lead bottom', i think i would have immediately labeled myself as such and the name would still be stuck in the back of my mind somewhere today.

in addition to making all of the overweight kids who want to have a good time but are secretly wondering if they will fit in a seat feel like crap, i think this kind of thing could do real damage to young children and teens who are *not* overweight, but have self image/esteem issues.

the root of the problem is most likely the habits of the parents, and that is what needs to be addressed.

tigersword

People are twisting this so much to rationalize why it's terrible.

This exhibit doesn't equate "fat" with "evil." It shows how poor habits can lead to poor health, and how good habits can lead to good health. Does it use exaggerated cartoons? Yes, of course, just like EVERY kids show/movie ever. Should we ban 101 Dalmations? After all, it pushes the stereotype that tall skinny women with salt & pepper hair are evil and kidnap puppies. :huh:

ahsats

Wow, I'm surprised by the majority of responses here. For an online community full of a majority of overweight or previously overweight people I don't understand why the people here do not understand how an image of a big fat guy as a villain can emotionally traumatise kids.

That's just ridiculous. Haven't WE ALL been fat before? Don't we all remember how rotten we felt? How would you have liked to walk through a grocery store only to have some kid call you Dr. Elephaunt, Disney's new fat ghost?

When people have said nasty things to me, i haven't thought 'it's okay because tomorrow i start my fitness journey to healthy eating and will reach my goal weight through all the motivation i've just recieved by being teased within 6 months.' No, i felt terrible, mildy depressed, unmotivated, anxious. I wanted to hide. None of these feelings are conducive to healthy living, and they do not created a healthy mindset.

Of course little fat baddies shouldn't be running around an exhibit teaching kids that fat and lazy is evil. Positive images of activity, fun, and healthy foods works much better. I can remember being a kid, learning about 'the food pyramid' and reading it on the back of my breakfast cereal packet every morning - THIS helped me.

Gosh, just think back to what you all responded to as adults. It wasn't the horrible feelings you had when you considered yourself overweight...those feelings just made you stay in your house, hide from your boyfriend, binge eat because 'it won't make a difference' - it was the realisation that yes, there is hope to change, a way to change, and yes, it is within your grasp.

Word.

annie7hudds

Why not suggest all kids should eat healthfully, instead of implying only fat kids have to?

I agree with this comment.

kateroot

Obesity is unhealthy, period. Obesity "acceptance" sounds as silly to me as smoking "acceptance." We know cigarette smoking kills, we know obesity kills. So smoking is ostracized, but there are actually people out there pushing for obesity "acceptance?"

Makes no sense to me.

chanstriste13

Obesity is unhealthy, period. Obesity "acceptance" sounds as silly to me as smoking "acceptance." We know cigarette smoking kills, we know obesity kills. So smoking is ostracized, but there are actually people out there pushing for obesity "acceptance?"

Makes no sense to me.

i get this.

but i think targeting children who will not grocery shop for themselves and be able to make their own food choices until they leave home is the wrong way to go about it. the focus needs to be on the habits and examples the parents are setting.

tigersword

Obesity is unhealthy, period. Obesity "acceptance" sounds as silly to me as smoking "acceptance." We know cigarette smoking kills, we know obesity kills. So smoking is ostracized, but there are actually people out there pushing for obesity "acceptance?"

Makes no sense to me.

i get this.

but i think targeting children who will not grocery shop for themselves and be able to make their own food choices until they leave home is the wrong way to go about it. the focus needs to be on the habits and examples the parents are setting.

The parents have to accompany the kids. This is the whole point of the post. The parents are the ones fighting this, not the children. There are plenty of kids shows that show active = healthy and lazy = bad, check out the show LazyTown for the most obvious example. It's not a "new" message at all for kids, if anything it's a dose of reality for the parents, and they'd rather push for "fat acceptance" than take responsibility for themselves or their children being obese and unhealthy. It's really kind of sad.

candicemaechling

Obesity is unhealthy, period. Obesity "acceptance" sounds as silly to me as smoking "acceptance." We know cigarette smoking kills, we know obesity kills. So smoking is ostracized, but there are actually people out there pushing for obesity "acceptance?"

Makes no sense to me.

i get this.

but i think targeting children who will not grocery shop for themselves and be able to make their own food choices until they leave home is the wrong way to go about it. the focus needs to be on the habits and examples the parents are setting.

Isn't that what its doing though attacking the habits of not enough activity, rating too much and too fast I didn't see anywhere in the artical about them pulling an obese adult or child on stage and calling them fat or bad its characters giving kids some correlation between habits and cause even though when I was young I would.t have looked at every food lable even if I had been taught I may have got the concept of eating slower

MikeSEA

What actually would have taken place in the exhibit?

Maybe Will Power helped Lead Bottom to get healthy? Wouldn't that be a positive message?

As someone has said above - you can't be obese and healthy. And yes there might be people who are eating healthily and be obese, which means they are on the right track - those people should see this as a good thing surely! I don't see how it would encourage teasing and bullying just by saying that healthy is good, unhealthy is bad.

Have you ever actually dealt with or watched a group of kids? They will pick apart "the other" with ravenous delight without actually thinking about reality. So that obese 12 year sees the exhibit, becomes confused because he or she actually trying to change her or his life through better habits and doesn't understand why he's the villain all of a sudden (because the fact that the villains are really behaviors and not people isn't literal enough), and the rest of the pack start making fun of him or her. That's reality.

A better solution would be teams of speakers, some of whom are fit and some of whom aren't, being seen working together to talk about good behaviors instead of being pitted against each other in a fictitious battle of good vs evil--when the real issue is cause and effect, not good vs evil.

Beth720

Honestly, I wish Disney would serve healthier foods within their parks.




And beer.

They DO serve healthier foods now, fruit and yogurt everywhere. The fruit goes bad while they can't stock the ice cream Mickeys quickly enough. Sad, but true.

Epcot for the beer.

Exactly. Each park definitely has healthy options. You just have to do your homework before going. AND it's one of the few parks that will let you take your own food in with you if you so choose.

And yes, there are all varieties of alcohol in EPCOT. Pretty sure it's available in some Studios locations as well.

Silverkittycat

People are twisting this so much to rationalize why it's terrible.

This exhibit doesn't equate "fat" with "evil." It shows how poor habits can lead to poor health, and how good habits can lead to good health. Does it use exaggerated cartoons? Yes, of course, just like EVERY kids show/movie ever. Should we ban 101 Dalmations? After all, it pushes the stereotype that tall skinny women with salt & pepper hair are evil and kidnap puppies. :huh:

poor Disney. :laugh:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/379173-is-this-where-it-starts-with-disney-princesses?

carolann_22

The parents have to accompany the kids. This is the whole point of the post. The parents are the ones fighting this, not the children. There are plenty of kids shows that show active = healthy and lazy = bad, check out the show LazyTown for the most obvious example. It's not a "new" message at all for kids, if anything it's a dose of reality for the parents, and they'd rather push for "fat acceptance" than take responsibility for themselves or their children being obese and unhealthy. It's really kind of sad.

Yes, but it's not the parents who will be called lead bottom at school and teased and ridiculed for their weight. Plus with kids, it's so subjective - my son sometimes looks a little chunky, then he grows two inches in three months and looks really skinny. I don't want him to feel bad about himself because he's on the verge of a growth spurt. ETA: And that's not me pushing for fat acceptance - I actually had a discussion with his doctor about his weight at age 4 because I was concerned he was gaining too much, and he told me to relax, he'd grow into it and things would even out - and he did. Kids do that.

tigersword

What actually would have taken place in the exhibit?

Maybe Will Power helped Lead Bottom to get healthy? Wouldn't that be a positive message?

As someone has said above - you can't be obese and healthy. And yes there might be people who are eating healthily and be obese, which means they are on the right track - those people should see this as a good thing surely! I don't see how it would encourage teasing and bullying just by saying that healthy is good, unhealthy is bad.

Have you ever actually dealt with or watched a group of kids? They will pick apart "the other" with ravenous delight without actually thinking about reality. So that obese 12 year sees the exhibit, becomes confused because he or she actually trying to change her or his life through better habits and doesn't understand why he's the villain all of a sudden (because the fact that the villains are really behaviors and not people isn't literal enough), and the rest of the pack start making fun of him or her. That's reality.

A better solution would be teams of speakers, some of whom are fit and some of whom aren't, being seen working together to talk about good behaviors instead of being pitted against each other in a fictitious battle of good vs evil--when the real issue is cause and effect, not good vs evil.

I gotta be honest, this post sounds like it was written based on seeing how kids act through TV movies and teen TV shows, rather than real life. Maybe my childhood was strange, but growing up, I never saw or dealt with roving bands of children/teens going out of their way to pick apart "the other." We were actually rather accepting of people looking different. All of our judgement was reserved for attitudes and actions. And I see the same thing with my daughter, my niece, my nephew and their friends. Kids aren't as stupid as you're making them out to be. An obese kid that's taking steps to change his obesity sees that exhibit, and he doesn't see himself as the villain, he sees himself as being part of the fight against the villains.

kateroot

The parents have to accompany the kids. This is the whole point of the post. The parents are the ones fighting this, not the children. There are plenty of kids shows that show active = healthy and lazy = bad, check out the show LazyTown for the most obvious example. It's not a "new" message at all for kids, if anything it's a dose of reality for the parents, and they'd rather push for "fat acceptance" than take responsibility for themselves or their children being obese and unhealthy. It's really kind of sad.

Yes, but it's not the parents who will be called lead bottom at school and teased and ridiculed for their weight. Plus with kids, it's so subjective - my son sometimes looks a little chunky, then he grows two inches in three months and looks really skinny. I don't want him to feel bad about himself because he's on the verge of a growth spurt.

Kids get picked on for all sorts of things, we can't protect them from that. All we can do as parents is help them use those experiences to be stronger, wiser, and more self-confident. I was picked on relentlessly in school, and it sucked, but with a good support system at home I grew into a pretty well-adjusted adult, just as millions of other kids who are picked on do. Kids will be picked on for being chunky, ugly, too smart, stupid.. the list goes on forever.

The point here is that obesity, in everyone but especially in children, is a cause of poor overall health and for many, quality of life. Of course we shouldn't advocate kids picking on one another, but we should NOT send the message to our children that obesity is ok, either.

carriem73

Honestly, I wish Disney would serve healthier foods within their parks.




And beer.

They serve alcohol at all of the parks except the Magic Kingdom- becasue that is the one place that is specifically geared towards little ones...

I love all things Disney, but would LOVE to get a beer at the Magic Kingdom!!!

They have added a lot of healthy choices to thier menus recently. I spent all day there last Saturday and was able to meet my 1200 calorie goal for the day!

VeganPanda

It's like elementary school contests, where everyone gets an award, even the losers...

carolann_22

What actually would have taken place in the exhibit?

Maybe Will Power helped Lead Bottom to get healthy? Wouldn't that be a positive message?

As someone has said above - you can't be obese and healthy. And yes there might be people who are eating healthily and be obese, which means they are on the right track - those people should see this as a good thing surely! I don't see how it would encourage teasing and bullying just by saying that healthy is good, unhealthy is bad.

Have you ever actually dealt with or watched a group of kids? They will pick apart "the other" with ravenous delight without actually thinking about reality. So that obese 12 year sees the exhibit, becomes confused because he or she actually trying to change her or his life through better habits and doesn't understand why he's the villain all of a sudden (because the fact that the villains are really behaviors and not people isn't literal enough), and the rest of the pack start making fun of him or her. That's reality.

A better solution would be teams of speakers, some of whom are fit and some of whom aren't, being seen working together to talk about good behaviors instead of being pitted against each other in a fictitious battle of good vs evil--when the real issue is cause and effect, not good vs evil.

I gotta be honest, this post sounds like it was written based on seeing how kids act through TV movies and teen TV shows, rather than real life. Maybe my childhood was strange, but growing up, I never saw or dealt with roving bands of children/teens going out of their way to pick apart "the other." We were actually rather accepting of people looking different. All of our judgement was reserved for attitudes and actions. And I see the same thing with my daughter, my niece, my nephew and their friends. Kids aren't as stupid as you're making them out to be. An obese kid that's taking steps to change his obesity sees that exhibit, and he doesn't see himself as the villain, he sees himself as being part of the fight against the villains.

Please volunteer in ANY elementary school. It starts in Kindergarten, but by third grade you will see it firmly established. I teach. I see it in EVERY class.

gemiwing

The exhibit should take shots at the parents but they're the ones spending the money so that's not going to happen.

Personally, I agree with this.

Whilst the exhibit did sound ok it is really obese kids who will bear the brunt of the teasing / stigma rather than the parents who are making poor choices on their behalf.

"Shaming" children won't work except in the minority of case in my view.

Couldn't agree more.
Education works better than shame.

How many of us here are/were overweight and how much more motivating is it to hear 'keep pushing- great workout' vs 'haha fatty on the treadmill guys!'

carolann_22

And to make it clear, I support the AIM of the exhibit. I think healthy eating and healthy habits should be promoted everywhere, including Disney World. I just think there are better ways to go about it than this exhibit.

mgmlap

enough with being PC...kids are becoming fat and obese..no doubt about it..and they need to be told this. I think its education..and young kids need to be taught by their parents. Its not ok to give into your kid when they want McDonalds...its not ok to have pizza everynight..its not ok to give a 1 yr old soda in their bottle..

Where has common sense gone!

MikeSEA

What actually would have taken place in the exhibit?

Maybe Will Power helped Lead Bottom to get healthy? Wouldn't that be a positive message?

As someone has said above - you can't be obese and healthy. And yes there might be people who are eating healthily and be obese, which means they are on the right track - those people should see this as a good thing surely! I don't see how it would encourage teasing and bullying just by saying that healthy is good, unhealthy is bad.

Have you ever actually dealt with or watched a group of kids? They will pick apart "the other" with ravenous delight without actually thinking about reality. So that obese 12 year sees the exhibit, becomes confused because he or she actually trying to change her or his life through better habits and doesn't understand why he's the villain all of a sudden (because the fact that the villains are really behaviors and not people isn't literal enough), and the rest of the pack start making fun of him or her. That's reality.

A better solution would be teams of speakers, some of whom are fit and some of whom aren't, being seen working together to talk about good behaviors instead of being pitted against each other in a fictitious battle of good vs evil--when the real issue is cause and effect, not good vs evil.

I gotta be honest, this post sounds like it was written based on seeing how kids act through TV movies and teen TV shows, rather than real life. Maybe my childhood was strange, but growing up, I never saw or dealt with roving bands of children/teens going out of their way to pick apart "the other." We were actually rather accepting of people looking different. All of our judgement was reserved for attitudes and actions. And I see the same thing with my daughter, my niece, my nephew and their friends. Kids aren't as stupid as you're making them out to be. An obese kid that's taking steps to change his obesity sees that exhibit, and he doesn't see himself as the villain, he sees himself as being part of the fight against the villains.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, I guess. My experiences and first-hand observations just lead me to a different conclusion than yours do.

EDIT: I'm not so sure it's that I think they're stupid. I think that as a group, children are cruel and lack empathy.

archgrrrl

"- it's not fat vs skinny. It's fat vs healthy."

Jeezus! It shouldn't be a "versus" issue at all! Why would we want to teach kids to look at the world with an Us vs Them mentality?!

Reading through the posts, the lack of compassion and tolerance is astounding! I cannot believe people are against the acceptance of fat people. WTH? Just because you are making personal choices which you deem right for you doesn't mean those choices are right for everyone.

tamerkins2

Sending your kid outside to run and play doesn't cost a dime. Buying a soccer ball costs, what, $10? To say that people below the poverty line cannot "afford" to raise healthy kids is ridiculous.

tamerkins2

When would being overweight and unhealthy be deemed the "right choice" for someone??

kateroot

When would being overweight and unhealthy be deemed the "right choice" for someone??

This. We as a society are not accepting of smokers, addicts, or basically any group that puts their health in danger for the pursuit of some unhealthy fixation. How is overeating/obesity different? No one's saying people should be judged or shamed for it, but it certainly shouldn't be promoted, encouraged, or accepted as the norm.